Device for cutting ornamental simulated carnations



Sept. 9, 1958 A. A. ANDERSON DEVICE FOR CUTTING ORNAMENTAL SIMULATED CARNATIONS Filed July 19, 1955 w m m fm WM km W a DEVICE FOR CUTTING ORNAMENTAL SIMULATED CARNATIONS Application July 19, 1955, Serial No. 523,030

Claims. (Cl. 164-38) The present invention relates to the art of gift wrapping packages and provides a novel device for making ornamental simulated carnations, particularly from the ornamental pompon bow formed from the ribbon hank disclosed and claimed in the United States Patent No. Re. 23,835, issued June 8, 1954, upon application by Thomas L. McMahon.

In recent years the gift wrapping ofpackages has become a highly commercialized business. Various manufacturers have placed many new and attractive gift papers, decorative ribbons and the like on the market and various womens magazines have frequently featured articles promoting these materials, and the idea of gift wrapping in general.

One recently developed article which has proved to be very popular in the wrapping of fancy packages is the partially manufactured bow of the above-identified Patent No. Re. 23,835. The bow of that invention has made it relatively easy for any person (even one who has had little experience in gift wrapping) to make a very attractive and symmetrical pompon bow; 1'. e., a decorative bow fashioned from many loops of ribbon to resemble a tufted ball.

A further development of the completed pompon bow, known as a simulated carnation by reason of the similarity between it and the flower from which the name is derived, has recently come into existence. Not only is a simulated carnation highly suited .to gift wrapping, but other decorative uses as well. For example, many men have carried them in the lapels of their suit coats. Women wear them very attractively either singly or in groups as corsages or hair decorations. Or they may be artfully employed in the decoration of doors, windows, or Christmas trees and the like.

In preparing a simulated carnation a completed pompon bow is first formed from the notched and tied ribbon hank described in the aforementioned Patent No. Re.-

23,835. The free ends of the several loops of which the bow is composed are then compacted together in juxtaposition to form a carnation blank. While the loops are held in juxtaposed compacted relation the blank is cut in two transversely of its length. Upon being released from the compacted relation, the many leaves retained together by the tie ribbon spring out giving the article the appearance of a decorative carnation.

One way in which the loops of the pompon bow may be properly compacted to form a carnation blank is to grasp the tie ribbon of the bow between the fingers of one hand and thence to draw and simultaneously crush the bow through a small opening formed by joining the thumb and index finger of the other hand.

Previous to the present invention, it has been necessary that the compacted carnation blank be severed by hand, such as with scissors or a knife or the like. A crushed bow is relatively thick, that is, contains many layers or thicknesses of ribbon. For this reason, it is difiicult to sever the compacted blank with a single clean cut of the scissors or knife. Thus the cut may be crooked ora'skew. "Ofttimes' frayed edges are left which detract considerably from the appearance of the resulting simu- States latent lated carnation. Further it necessary to manipulate Figure 1 is a view in perspective of one embodiment of my simulated carnation fabricating device;

Figure 2 is a side view in section of the device shown' in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view in section taken along the lines 3-3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a view in perspective of the simulated carnation formed in the device shown.

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference characters indicate like parts, reference character 10 designates the base of the device. Atfixed to and extending upwardly from said base is a stand 11 comprising a pair of opposed side walls 12 and 13, end walls 14, and top Wall 15. The body may consist of sheet metal or the like in which case the device is assembled easily and retained together by means of properly placed screws 16.

A rectangular centrally spaced opening is provided in the top 15 into which the carnation blank holding body is positioned as will be described shortly. A pair of upwardly extending flanges 17 and 17a, in which drilled mounting holes are provided, is aflixed the top 15 at the lateral ends of the opening. I

A cylindrical body 18 having an eccentrically positioned cylindrical carnation blank receiving chamber 19 passing axially parallel through it, is positioned in the rectangular open portion of the top 15. This body 18 is rotatably mounted by means of a pair of screws 20 and 21 extending through the aforementioned mounting holes a in the flanges 17 and 17a and turned into the cylindrical body 18 along the axis thereof. The body'18 is further provided with an axially perpendicular slot 22 extending into the body 18, from its circumference, to a depth at least across the chamber 19.

Short notches 23 and 23a extend through the periphery of the body 18 into chamber 19 and extend axially inward for a short distance from each endnof the body. Knurled ridges 24, about the circumference of the body.

18, on each side of the slot 22, provide a roughened surface against which tangential rotating forces are exerted by the hands in rotating the body 18.

Referring to Figure 3, the body 18 of the device illustrated is seen to be formed from a pairof opposed cylinders 25 and 26, each of which is about one-half of the length of the body 18. Short cylindrical shoulders 27 are provided at the center on the inner surface of each of the said cylinders 25 and26. Thus when the two cylinders are in contact, in abutting relation at their centers, a central circumferential axially perpendicular slot is provided between the two.

Cylinder 25 is further provided with a short threaded section 28 extending axially from the shoulder 27 thereof and the cylinder 26 is provided with a tapped hole 29 adapted to receive the said threaded section'28. The body is then assembled by turning threaded section 28 into the tapped hole 29 of cylinder 26. The chamber 19,

notches 23 and 23a and knurled ridges 24 may be formed either separately on the cylinders 25 and 26or after these two have been assembled onto the body 18. i

A pair of short right angular members 30 and 31 are removably afl'ixed to the under side of the top wall- 15 by means of screws 32 passing through the said top wall Patented Sept. 9, 1958 into one arm thereof, with the free arms 33 and 34 in close abutting opposed relationship. A severing blade 35 is positioned between the said free arms 33 and 34 with the end of the blade extending into slot 22 to a depth at least sufiiciently for a cutting edge 36 of the blade 35 to traverse the chamber 19 completely upon rotation of the body 18. The severing blade 35 is held in this position by means of a screw 37.

A simulated carnation is then severed in my novel device in the following manner. An ornamental pompon bow formed according to the aforementioned McMahon U. S. Patent No. Re. 23,835 is compacted into a carnation blank in the manner above described. The blank is then inserted into the cutting device by first threading the tie'ribbon through the chamber 19, the body 18 having been previously positioned with the chamber 19 in the easily accessible position shown in the drawings. Then, by pulling the tie ribbon, the compacted carnation blank is drawn completely within the cylindrical chamber 19. The tie ribbon is then threaded upwardly into the notch 23 to prevent it from becoming wound around one of the screws 20 and thus fouling the device. The compacted blank 38 is shown positioned within the chamber 19' with the tie ribbon 39 threaded into the notch in Figure 3. The body 18 is then rotated by pushing tangentially against the knurled ridges 24 with the fingers. As the body rotates the carnation blank 38 within chamber 19 is moved against and severed in two by the cutting edge 36 of the blade 35. The rotation is continued until the chamber 19 is again in the upward accessible position permitting removal of the simulated carnation and the severed loop ends, which are waste.

In this manner the carnation blank is quickly, cleanly and accurately severed. It is to be noted that although the blade used is relatively thin, I have found that no 1 the chamber to be traversed by the internally positioned severing blade. Thus the operators fingers cannot be cut by the blade.

It will of course be apparent that there are certain modifications which could be made in the machine herein described, and also in the steps followed in operating the same- However, it should be understood that such modifications are within the spirit and scope of the present invention, and that the particular forms illustrated place no limitation upon my invention except as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A device for severing a compacted carnation blank in the preparation of a simulated carnation, comprising a body movably mounted for motion in a direction parallel to a plane and having a chamber extending therein transversely of said plane for receiving and retaining in compacted relation a carnation blank, said body having a single blade receiving slot extending inwardly from the external surface thereof parallel to said plane to a depth at least crossing said chamber, and a fixed severing blade positioned for traversal of said chamber through said slot upon movement of said body.

2. A device for severing a compacted carnation blank in the preparation of a simulatedcarnation, comprising a rotatably mounted body having an eccentrically positioned chamber adapted to receive and retain in compacted relation a carnation blank, said chamber extending axially of said body, said body having a single transverse blade receiving slot extending inwardly from the external surface thereof to a depth at least crossing said cham- Eveu should the opber, and a fixed severing blade extending into said slot to a depth suflicient to completely traverse said chamber upon rotation of said body, said slot extending sulficiently far about said body to permit said body to be rotated to a position in which said severing blade lies entirely without said chamber, thereby permitting unhindered access to said chamber for the insertion of said blank and withdrawal of the completed simulated carnation.

3. A device for severing a compacted carnation blank in the preparation of a simulated carnation, comprising a mounting stand, a cylindrical body rotatably mounted therein, said body having an eccentrically positioned cylindrical chamber passing axially therethrough for receiving and retaining in compacted relation a carnation blank and a single circumferential axially perpendicular blade receiving slot extending into said body to a depth at least crossing said chamber, and a severing blade aflixed said stand extending within said slot to a depth sufficient to completely traverse said chamber upon rotation of said body.

4. A device for the safe and accurate severing of a compacted carnation blank in the preparation of a simulated carnation, comprising a mounting stand, a cylindrical body rotatably mounted on its central axis partially within the upper portion of said stand, said body having an eccentrically positioned cylindrical chamber passing axially therethrough for receiving and retaining in compacted relation a carnation blank, said chamber first being accessible from the exterior of said stand and then upon rotation of said body passing entirely internally of said stand, said body further having a single circumferential axially perpendicular bladerecciving slot extending into said body to a depth at least crossing said chamber, and a severing blade removably' afiixed' internally of said mount extending within said slot to a depth sufiieient to completely traverse said-chamber upon rotation of said body.

5. A device for the safe and accurate severing of a compacted carnation blank of the type described having a tie string, in the preparation of a simulated carnation. said device comprising: a mounting stand having rectangularly shaped opening defined in the top thereof; a cylindrical body rotatably mounted on its central axis extending through said opening and partially within the upper portion of said stand, the rectangular cross section of said body being just slightly smaller'than said opening whereby access'cannot be had to any' portion of said body extending within said stand, said body having an eccentrically positioned cylindrical chamber passing axially therethrough for receiving and retaining in compacted relation a carnation blank, said chamber first being accessible from the exterior of said stand and then upon rotation of said body passing entirely internally of said stand, said body further having a tie-string receiving notch extending from its periphery'into said chamber at each lateral side thereof and a single circumferential axially perpendicular blade receiving slot extending into said body to a depth at least crossing said chamber; and a severing blade removably afiixcd internally of said mounting stand extending within said slot to a depth sufiicient completely to traverse said chamber upon rotation of said body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 464,674 Church Dec. 8, 1891 1,059,268 Bond Apr. 15, 1913 1,142,216 Wolf June 8, 1915 1,266,447 Fraser May 14, 1918 1,424,472 Goldberg Aug. 1, 1922 1,813,340 Conti July 7, 1931 1,992,688 Bonvallet Feb. 26, 1935 2,236,150 Maltby Mar. 25, 1941 

